Suspended Disbelief

Lyrical selections from the 1990s

Roses

I've seen it before
and before I die
I know I'll see it again
so there's just no point
in trying to pretend
that things will be different this time,
there's just no peace of mind
now that you're involved.

But for you
I'd walk through the gates of Hell, wondering
is this how the mighty heroes fell?
Did they all fall in love with you,
chasing a dream that could never come true?

For you are more dangerous
than any coiled serpent ready to strike
and with your look
you know that you could get
anything you like from me.

Roses wilt
and roses bloom
and roses wilt once again,
they mark this season coming to an end
but there's no need for crying
so here's to trying
because we all know it rhymes with dying.

Like a rock I sink
to the bottom in a river of tears
and every night I'm haunted
by the same old fears
that I thought I left behind so long ago.
When I held you in my arms
how was I to know

That you were a
vampyre,
crawling from the grave into the night
and with your kiss
you would drain all the life
from me.

For you are more
beautiful
than any dream of beauty
I've ever known
and even though I'm afraid
I just don't want
to die alone.

A turning point for me as a song writer, it was the first song truly inspired by/written for someone, my first experience with an older woman. The song was written because after our first encounter, she asked me to write one. Part of me knew what was going on so I praised her and commented on her attention craving at the same time. But the experience set me on a course of seeking out emotions to write about over the next several years. A friend that I collaborated with musically from time to time loved it and dubbed it my "gothic horror love song".